Garden of Eden
by StarrFlower
Summary: AU...The tale of a young woman's adventures on the HMS Surprise; her choices; her friendships; and her romances. "My life is like a garden: beautiful, but sometimes overgrown and tangled...and hard to forget..."
1. Prologue: The Story Begins

**A/N: Hi everybody! So, I totally love this movie and the idea for this story popped into my head while I was watching it the other day. I thought that there needed to be some female influence upon these salty sea dogs. So, please review and tell me what you think. Thanks so much and hope you enjoy! Oh, and just to reiterate…this is somewhat AU…for those of you who don't know…Alternate Universe so there will be some different things. Ok, now…hope you enjoy!**

_England, 1848_

An old woman sat in her brightly lit parlor, gazing longingly out the window. The weather outside was beautiful; the sun shone warmly; the birds sang happily, but her mood was exactly opposite. A flood of memories had caused her to be melancholy. The door to the room opened, and a young lady tentatively stuck her head in.

"Grandmother," she called softly. The woman did not turn from the window. "Grandmother?" The girl came further into the room, walking towards her grandmother. "Grandma Eden?" she said, slightly shaking the old woman's shoulder. Eden snapped out of her reverie.

"Oh goodness," she exclaimed, "I did not see you there, Josephine. Is there something you needed, dear?"

"We were just wondering where you'd gone after breakfast," Josephine said, pulling up a chair beside her grandmother.

"Oh," Eden said softly, turning back to the window. She fell silent and Josephine simply watched her for a moment.

"Grandmother? Are you all right?" she asked in a concerned voice. Eden turned back to her granddaughter and a sad sort of smile spread over her face. "What's bothering you?"

Eden sighed heavily. "A cloud of bittersweet memories that surrounds this day, that's all. You and you're mother and father and brothers and sisters usually aren't here this time of year, so you never have to see me like this. I've tried to forget, but I've found that to be very hard."

"What happened, Grandmother?" Josephine asked.

Eden turned sideways towards Josephine. "That, my dear, is a very long story," she said sadly. Josephine smiled mischievously.

"We have time, Grandmother. Father hasn't planned anything for today," she said. Eden smiled at her granddaughter, thinking of how much Josephine reminded her of herself at that age. Eden thought for a moment, deciding whether or not to divulge the deepest and innermost secrets of her heart.

"Very well," she sighed, "I will tell you the tale. But be warned: it is very long. And you must promise me only one thing."

"I promise, Grandmother, I won't tell anyone," she swore. Eden chuckled lightly.

"On the contrary, my dear, I ask that, one day, you pass this on to your own daughter," she said. "I believe you are old enough to understand the lesson that I will try to teach you." Josephine nodded, suddenly feeling the weight of what her grandmother was about to tell her.

"Of course," she replied.

"Very well," Eden said, sitting back in her armchair, and looking out the window, concentrating very hard, as if the window might tell the details she was trying to remember. "It was the year 1805," she began slowly. "I had just turned seventeen, and was engaged to your grandfather. I'd been visiting some family members in the Caribbean islands and was on my way back to England when it happened."

"What happened?" Josephine breathed quietly, sitting on the edge of her seat with anticipation. Eden looked at her and smirked.

"On my way home, I was kidnapped, by pirates…"

**Ok, this was just the short little prologue, but if I get some reviews then the coming chapters will be longer. Eden's story will be told in a sort of flashback POV to eliminate the constant use of quotation marks. Ok, please review!**


	2. Kidnapped

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! Like I said before, this is all going to be told in a sort of flashback but I will let you know when it will be switching between 1805 and 1848. **

_The Caribbean, 1805_

The salty sea air swept across my face and through my hair, whipping it around my head. I breathed in the smell of the ocean, closing my eyes and letting the intense sensation wash over me. There was nothing like being out at sea; feeling the freedom; the power; and the ferocity. Something about that vast, blue expanse of water made me feel so…alive.

"Lady Briarwood," someone said behind me. I turned and found the captain of the ship, _The Moonwake, _standing there behind me.

"Oh, hello Captain Lark," I said, pushing my wild, red hair out of my face. "Is something the matter?" Captain Lark smiled and shook his head.

"No, my lady, there is nothing the matter. I only wished to see if you were all right. You're father informed me that you are very close to the relations that you just departed with, and asked me to ensure that you were not…emotionally distraught." I laughed at that.

"Captain, my father is a very protective man. I appreciate his efforts, but you needn't worry about me. Thank you," I reassured him. "When do you think we will reach England?"

The captain sighed. "It's hard to say. Everything will depend on the weather. If it is fair, then we should reach the shores of England in a few weeks." I nodded, finding this answer satisfactory.

"Excellent," I said. "Thank you very much, Captain. I am most anxious to get home."

"I am sure that your betrothed is just as anxious, m'lady," he replied. I smiled at the thought of my John back home in London. He was the sort of man that one could always depend on; very strong and independent; firm. But there was also another side to him that people rarely ever saw. Underneath his tough exterior was a kind and gentle man. He knew just how to make me laugh, and how to make me happy. John was the perfect man.

"I am sure," I said quietly, more to myself than anyone else. "Thank you, Captain." Suddenly snapping back to reality, I gazed around the deck of the ship. She was a fine vessel, if not a bit small, but she would do the job well. All I cared about was getting home, to my mother and father, and John.

Later that night, I was up on deck, walking along and gazing up at the stars. The night was clear and crisp; the perfect night. But it wouldn't last. As I looked out over the crushing, black ocean, I saw something that sent a chill through my bones.

"Sailor," I called to a man nearby who was on watch. He came over to me.

"Yes, m'lady? What's wrong?" He must have seen the distress on my face, for his tone was concerned.

"Do you see that, Sailor?" I pointed out over the water to what I thought I was seeing. He squinted his eyes and followed the direction of my finger.

"Mary, mother of God," he whispered quietly to himself. "Beat to quarters!" A frenzy of movement and shouting ensued; apparently I'd confided in the master of the watch. Captain Lark came aboard and inquired after the source of the commotion.

"What is it, Mr. Hart?" the captain asked the man standing next to me.

He handed Captain Lark a telescope that he hadn't even needed to see the floating phantom in the fog. "Look, sir, over there." Captain raised the scope to his eye, and quickly dropped it, accompanied by a curse.

"To your stations, men!" he barked, trying to gain some semblance of order to the bedlam.

"Captain! What's going on!" I yelled, following after him as he made his way to the helm.

"Pirates, m'lady. They've altered their course and they're heading straight for us," he said, trying to be calm in my presence. My heart dropped at those words. On more than one occasion, my father had warned me of the dangers of pirates. They were merciless brutes who wouldn't think twice about killing a helpless woman…not that I was _that _helpless…but still…

"What are we going to do, Captain?" My heart was racing at a thousand beats per minute.

"The only thing we can: fight and defend ourselves," he said, spinning the helm rapidly to try and pull up alongside the pirate vessel. "Lady Briarwood, you must get below decks. Go to my quarters and hide yourself. Your safety is my top priority." I looked around in a daze, not quite hearing what he'd said, but I understood the intent of his forceful tone.

I nodded quickly and made my way below, pulling the hem of my skirts up to gain speed. Once safely inside the captain's quarters, I tried to collect my thoughts. Pirates were attacking us, that much is obvious. But what after that? Will we be able to win the fight? Or will we all be killed? Or worse…will we be captured? I dreaded to think of all the possibilities and instead focused all my thoughts on thoughts of home and family.

The first sound I heard that alerted me to the battle raging outside was a voracious blast that rocked the ship from side to side. I could only assume that they'd opened fire on us. A volley of cannon fire followed that. The noise was almost deafening. I could hear shouts and curses and unintelligible nonsense coming from above decks, but I tried to ignore it, thinking only of my father and the warm smile and hug he'd give me when I got home. Little did I know at the time that I wouldn't be going home for quite a while.

The next thing that I truly remember is that I could hear running above me. That's when I really became frightened. My heart started beating wildly in my chest and the room went into a spinning motion. And then, the door to the captain's quarters opened. These strange men came in, grinning and looking around the room greedily. When they saw me huddled in the corner, they immediately stopped.

"Well, well, well," one of them said, "lookie what we 'ave 'ere." He grinned maliciously. They both grabbed me by the arms and hauled me to my feet, dragging me out of the room. When they brought me up on deck, everything was in a flurry of motion. People were shouting; guns were shooting; cannon were firing; and all the while I was being dragged off the ship. I couldn't focus correctly; something was clouding my mind and I couldn't figure out what it was.

The next thing I knew, I was on the pirate ship, in the quarters of its captain. He was a tough looking man, with a ragged beard, tattered clothing, and a large hat. He looked me up and down for a moment and then turned to the men who were still holding me.

"Are you sure she's the one?" he asked, acting as though I wasn't even there.

"Yes, Cap'n," the one to my right said, nodding enthusiastically. "She was the only woman on board. It must be her." The captain thought for a moment and then turned back to me.

"Miss Briarwood," he said smoothly, taking on a charming sort of demeanor. How in the world did he know my name? "I wish to welcome you aboard this lovely vessel. The men aboard _The Ocean's Cry _will treat you with the upmost civility." I heard one of the men behind me give a sort of snort.

"Of course," I said as threateningly as I could. "I know the sort of _civility _that you and your men give out. You are as black-hearted as the Devil himself." The captain gasped in a sort of mock surprise.

"Such hostility," he said. "This will not do. Smitty, take her to the brig." The man next to me grabbed my arm and dragged me away from this teasing captain. I knew that he had no intention of being civil to me and was only leading me on to try and gain something. But what, I could not be sure.

Smitty, as the smelly man was called, shoved me roughly into a small cell in the bowels of the ship. It was cold and dark, and I could still hear the battle raging above me. After what I guessed to be an hour, everything fell silent. I could only guess that the battle was over, and the brave, courageous men of _The Moonwake, _were dead.

**Ok, please review and tell me what you think. Thanks for reading! **


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